Imperfect Churches By Dietrich “Deech” Kirk Every church is a work in progress. That realization has led me to believe that working at the church might just be harder than working anywhere else. Why? Because we expect it to be different and for folks to treat us differently. When they don’t, we question why any sane […]
Stress & Anxiety Case Study Teenagers are stressed out and over-scheduled more than ever before, creating students who often want to come to youth group but can’t figure out how to “fit it in” amongst a host of other extra-curricular and other activities in their lives. What do you do? Guilt is never the answer. Attractional […]
It Happens: When Youth Talks Go Wrong By Matt Laidlaw In order to generate some enthusiasm around teaching the Prophets of the Old Testament to our high school students, we began our Wednesday evening together with a game we titled “Jonah’s Revenge.” One student from each grade was invited to join us on stage, […]
Whose needs is your Back-to-School Sunday really meeting? By Meghan Hatcher, Innovation Lab Director When I began a new ministry role as Community Engagement Pastor midway through the summer, my first major project was to plan and lead Back-to-School Sunday. Like many churches, the congregation I was now serving had a tradition of providing […]
Snow Plow Parenting By Rev. Regina Girten I remember the first time my daughter fell while learning to walk. Our house was not carpeted and as I watched her tiny body topple over my heart skipped several beats. My instinct was to plunge forward, scoop her up and ensure she was ‘booboo’ free. But as […]
Welcome to Youth Group! Helping Students and Parents Transition Into Youth Ministry By Andrew Davis As youth pastors, we must be intentional about how we welcome our new 6th or 7th graders into the youth ministry. Church involvement can be a very positive aspect of the lives of new middle schoolers. This is also a […]
Successful Retreat Planning 101 If you’re planning a retreat this year, use this free guide to make sure you’ve got your bases covered–whether it’s your first or hour one hundred and first event! Prayer and Purpose: Why? Begin in prayer with your ministry team about the purpose of your retreat or camp. […]
Urban Youth Worker as Relationship Builder by William Parker In the Search Institute’s report on Positive Developmental Relationships, Peter L. Benson writes, “After decades of forming hypotheses, conducting surveys, crafting and rewriting definitions, analyzing data, and writing journal articles, Search Institute researchers and practitioners have arrived at a surprisingly simple conclusion: nothing–nothing–has more impact in […]
Understanding the WOW Theological Method By Dietrich “Deech” Kirk I was walking down the row of hungry people when a man said to me, “Hey, I know you.” And that statement transformed my life. We arrived at The Bridge early. Everyone was given a role in helping to feed the 500 homeless […]
“The Kid Who Questions Everything” by Cory Peacock There’s an old Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, written and drawn by the comic genius Bill Watterson, in which the precocious six-year-old Calvin has a nice father-son talk about things scientific. Calvin asks, “Where does the sun go when it sets?” Calvin’s dad responds, “The sun sets […]
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